Electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus

ABSTRACT

The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus of the present invention is constructed so as to improve the support rigidity of a portion that constitutes a steering column apparatus thereof, such that the steering shaft  2   b  and the steering column  5   b  have non-expandable construction, but are able to be displaced in the axial direction; holding holes are provided in at least two locations on the top side of the column holder  31  that supports the steering column  5   b ; and in each of the holding holes, a sliding plate  35 , an elastic member  37  and a cover  38  are assembled such that the sliding plate  35  is elastically compressed by the elastic member  37  and pushes the outer circumferential surface of the steering column  5   b.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus, and more specifically to an apparatus that has an electric motor as a drive source and that adjusts the forward-backward position and up-down position of a steering wheel.

BACKGROUND ART

Electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatuses having various kinds of construction are known, and some are already being used as the steering apparatuses of automobiles. FIG. 21 illustrates a first example of conventional construction that was disclosed in JP 2010-116042 (A). The steering shaft 2 to which the steering wheel 1 is fastened has a cylindrical outer shaft, and a circular rod shaped inner shaft 4 that is inserted inside the outer shaft 3 so as to be able to move back-and-forth in the axial direction, and so as to be able to transmit torque. More specifically, there is a spline fit between the middle section to the front-end section of the inner circumferential surface of the outer shaft 3 and the outer circumferential surface of the rear-end section of the inner shaft 4. The steering wheel 1 is fastened to the rear-end section of the outer shaft 3.

The steering shaft 2 is inserted inside a cylindrical shaped steering column 5, and is supported so as to be able to freely rotate. The steering column 5 has a cylindrical outer column 6 that is supported by the vehicle body, and a cylindrical inner column 7 that is inserted inside the outer column 6 so as to be able to move back-and-forth in the axial direction. The portion near the rear end of the middle section of the outer shaft 3 is supported on the radially inside of the rear-end section of the inner column 7 so as to be prevented from displacing in the axial direction, and so as to be able to rotate freely. Moreover, the portion near the front end of the middle section of the inner shaft 4 is supported on the radially inside of the front-end section of the outer column 6 so as to be prevented from displacement in the axial direction, and so as to be able to rotate freely. With this construction, the steering shaft 2 is supported on the inside of the steering column 5 so as to be able to rotate freely, and the outer shaft 3 and inner column 7 are capable of relative movement in the forward-backward direction with respect to the inner shaft 4 and outer column 6.

The apparatus of the first example of conventional construction, as an electric actuator in order to be able to adjust the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, has: a gear housing 8 that is fastened to the bottom surface of the outer column 6; a feed nut 9 that is supported on the inside of the gear housing 8 so as to be prevented from displacement in the axial direction, and so as to be able to only rotate; a push-pull arm 10 that is fastened to a portion of the rear-end section of the inner column 7 that protrudes further toward the rear than the outer column 6; a push-pull rod 11 having a male screw section 12 provided on the front half thereof that screws into the feed nut 9, and the rear-end section thereof being linked with the push-pull arm 10; and an electric motor (omitted in the figure) that is connected to the feed nut 9 by way of a worm reducer 13, and that rotates and drives the feed nut 9.

When adjusting the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, the feed nut 9 is rotated, which causes the push-pull rod 11 to be displaced in the axial direction. Due to this displacement, the inner column 7, by way of the push-pull arm 10, is displaced in the same direction as the push-pull rod 11, and by causing the outer shaft 3 that is supported on the inside of the inner column 7 to move in the forward-backward direction together with the inner column, the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted.

In the electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus of this first example of conventional construction, there is a possibility that the driver that operates the steering wheel 1 will experience an unpleasant or uncomfortable feeling due to a small space that exist in the area of fit between the rear-end section of the outer column 6 and the front-end section of the inner column 7. In other words, in the electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus, differing from a manual apparatus, even in the state in which the adjusted position of the steering wheel 1 is maintained, the diameter of the rear-end section of the outer column 6 is not reduced, and a small space remains in the area of fit. Due to this small space, there is a possibility that the inner column 7 that supports the outer shaft 3 to which the steering wheel 1 is fastened will be loose with respect to the outer column 6 that is supported by the vehicle body. Due to this loose fit, the feeling of support rigidity of the steering wheel 1 will decrease, and there is a possibility that the driver that operates the steering wheel 1 will experience an unpleasant feeling. Moreover, this looseness causes the resonant frequency of the members of the electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus that constitutes the steering column apparatus that includes the steering shaft 2 and steering column 5 to decrease, and when there is small vibration of the vehicle body when traveling over a bad road or the like, there is a possibility that unpleasant noise or vibration will occur in this steering column apparatus.

FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 illustrate a second example of conventional construction that is disclosed in JP 2006-297989 (A). In this second example of conventional construction as well, as in the first example of conventional construction, the steering shaft 2 a is supported on the inside of the steering column 5 a so as to be able to rotate freely, and the outer shaft 3 a and inner column 7 a are able move in the forward-backward direction relative to the inner shaft 4 a and outer column 6 a.

In this second example of conventional construction, by using a linear motion ultrasonic motor 15 that is supported by the bottom-end section of an installation bracket 14 as an actuator in order to be able to adjust the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, it is possible for the inner column 7 a to be displaced in the axial direction with respect to the outer column 6 a. More specifically, a moving piece 16 of the linear motion ultrasonic motor 15 and inner column 7 a are linked by a transmission member 17, and by transmitting the movement of the moving piece 16 to the inner column 7 a, it is possible to move the inner column 7 a in the forward-backward direction. The base-end section of the transmission member 17 is fastened by screws to the inner column 7 a, and the tip-end section of the transmission member 17 is linked to the moving piece 16 by way of a spherical joint 18. The spherical joint 18 has: an engaging concave section 19 that is formed in the moving piece 16; a spacer 20 that fits with and is supported by the engaging concave section 19, and that has an inner circumferential surface that is a spherical concave surface; and a spherical surface engaging section 21 that engages with the inner circumferential surface of the spacer 20.

When adjusting the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, the linear motion ultrasonic motor 15 causes the moving piece 16 to be displaced in the axial direction of the steering column 5 a. This displacement, by way of the transmission member 17, causes the inner column 7 a to be displaced in the same direction as the moving piece 16, which causes the outer shaft 3 a that is supported on the inside of the inner column 7 a to move in the forward-backward direction together with the inner column 7 a. As a result, as illustrated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 22, it becomes possible to adjust the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1.

In the case of the construction of this second example of conventional technology, there is a problem in that due to the construction of the engagement area between the moving piece 16 and the transmission member 17, the manufacturing cost for maintaining smooth operation increases. In other words, in order to smoothly perform adjustment of the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 without any looseness, it is necessary to properly regulate the fitting strength at the engagement area between the spherical engaging section 21 of the transmission member 17 and the spacer 20. When the fitting strength is to low, a positive gap occurs in this engagement area, and looseness occurs between the spherical engaging section 21 and the spacer 20, which easily causes rattling of the steering wheel 1 in the forward-backward direction. On the other hand, when the fitting strength is too high, pivotal displacement of the spacer 20 with respect to the spherical engaging section 21 cannot be performed smoothly.

In the construction of this second example of conventional technology, the amount of movement in the forward-backward direction of the moving piece 16 is large, and unless there is a good degree of parallel accuracy between the movement direction of this moving piece 16 and the movement direction of the inner column 7 a when performing forward-backward position adjustment of the steering wheel 1, as the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted, the transmission member 17 will be displaced in the axial direction of the transmission member relative to the moving piece 16. This relative displacement causes rubbing in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 between the outer circumferential surface of the spacer 20 and the inner circumferential surface of the engaging concave section 19. In this case, when the fitting strength is too high, and pivotal displacement of the spacer 20 with respect to the spherical engaging section 21 is not performed smoothly, there will be strong rubbing between the outer circumferential surface of the spacer 20 and the inner circumferential surface of the engaging concave section 19, and there is a possibility that noise or vibration will occur, causing the passengers in the automobile to experience an uncomfortable feeling. Particularly, in this state, the surface that allows relative displacement in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 between the transmission member 17 and the moving piece 16 is limited to only one location between the outer circumferential surface of the spacer 20 and the inner circumferential surface of the engaging concave section 19, so the rubbing length easily becomes long, which makes it even easier for noise and vibration to occur.

Performing high precision processing of the inner circumferential surface of the spacer 20, which is a spherical concave surface, and the outer circumferential surface of the spherical engaging section 21, which is a spherical convex section, in order to prevent the occurrence of noise and vibration is connected to higher costs. Moreover, when manufacturing the spherical engaging section 21 with high precision, it is not possible to avoid the outer diameter of the transmission member 17 becoming small on the base-end section of the spherical engaging section 21. It is easy for large stresses to occur in the neck section of this transmission member 17 during adjustment of the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, and so such construction as this is not advantageous from the aspect of maintaining sufficient durability when used over a long period of time.

As construction for preventing the occurrence of noise and vibration in the portion of the steering column apparatus, JP 5,076,908 (B2), for example, discloses a mechanism as illustrated in FIG. 24 in which holding holes 22 are provided in part in the axial direction of the outer column 6 b, and adjustment screws 24 that are screwed into female threads 23 that are formed in the holding holes 22 press synthetic resin pads 26 that come in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the inner column 7 b by way of disc springs 25, which prevents looseness of the portion that constitutes the steering column apparatus. However, in this mechanism, when the force by which the pads 26 press against the outer circumferential surface of the inner column 7 b is made large enough to be able to prevent looseness, the drive load on the electric motor increases, and there is a problem in that the operation noise becomes large.

RELATED LITERATURE Patent Literature

-   [Patent Literature 1] JP 2010-116042 (A) -   [Patent Literature 2] JP 2006-297989 (A) -   [Patent Literature 3] JP 5,076,908 (B2) -   [Patent Literature 4] JP H09-323658 (A) -   [Patent Literature 5] JP H10-119793 (A) -   [Patent Literature 6] JP 2005-255040 (A) -   [Patent Literature 7] JP 2009-006743 (A) -   [Patent Literature 8] JP 2010-116042 (A) -   [Patent Literature 9] DE 10251764 (A1)

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Problem to be Solved by Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide at low cost construction of an electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus that improves the rigidity of the portion that constitutes the steering column apparatus, so that the driver operating the steering wheel does not experience an unpleasant feeling, and that is capable of performing position adjustment of the steering wheel stably and smoothly.

Means for Solving Problems

The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus of the present invention has:

a steering shaft that has a rear-end section which a steering wheel is supported by and fastened to;

a column unit that extends in the axial direction of the steering shaft, that rotatably supports the steering shaft on the inside thereof, and that has:

-   -   a support section supported by a portion that is fastened to a         vehicle body or to a vehicle body-side bracket that is supported         by the portion that is fastened to the vehicle body, the support         section not being displaced during position adjustment of the         steering wheel; and     -   an adjusted section supported by the support section so as to be         displaceable in the axial direction of the steering shaft         together with at least part of the steering shaft during         position adjustment of the steering wheel;

an electric actuator that is fastened to the bottom side of the support section, that has an electric motor as the drive source, and that causes the adjusted section to be displaced in the axial direction with respect to the support section; and

mechanisms that push the adjusted section downward, and that are provided in at least two locations on the top side of the support section that are separated in the forward-backward direction of the column unit.

In the apparatus of the present invention, preferably a pair of preloaded angular ball bearings having back-to-back contact angles are located between both end sections in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section and at least part of the steering shaft, and the pair of ball bearings rotatably support the at least part of the steering shaft with respect to the adjusted section in a state that displacement in the axial direction of the steering shaft with respect to the adjusted section is prevented.

Preferably, the both end sections in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section are constructed by reduced-diameter sections having diameters that are smaller than the diameter of the middle section in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section,

the middle section in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section is constructed by a middle cylindrical section having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the adjusted section,

the pair of ball bearings are located between the inner circumferential surfaces of the both end sections in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section and the outer circumferential surface of the at least part of the steering shaft, and

the mechanisms that push the adjusted section downward are provided on the support section so as not to separate from the middle cylindrical section regardless of displacement of the adjusted section in the axial direction with respect to the support section.

Preferably, in the apparatus of the present invention, each of the mechanisms that push the adjusted section downward has:

a holding hole that is formed so as to pass through between or communicate the inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the support section;

a sliding plate;

an elastic member; and

a cover;

the sliding plate, the elastic member and the cover being assembled in the holding hole in order from the inside in the radial direction of the support section, and

the elastic member is elastically compressed between the sliding plate and the cover such that the sliding plate pushes the outer circumferential surface of the adjusted section.

Preferably the spacing in the axial direction of the mechanisms that push the adjusted section downward is essentially equal to the maximum range of movement of the adjusted section in the axial direction of the support section.

Preferably, the electric actuator has:

a forward-backward feed screw rod that is arranged parallel with the adjusted section and that is rotated and driven by the electric motor;

a moving piece that is screwed onto the forward-backward feed screw rod and that moves in the forward-backward direction according to the rotation of the forward-backward feed screw rod; and

a transmission member, the tip-end section thereof being connected to the moving piece, and the base-end section thereof being joined to the middle cylindrical section of the adjusted section, and that transmits the movement of the moving piece to the adjusted section.

In this case, preferably an engaging concave section is provided in the moving piece; the tip-end section of the transmission member engages with the engaging concave section of the moving piece by way of a spacer; the engaging concave section of the moving piece has an inner circumferential surface that is a cylindrical concave surface having an inner diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member; the tip-end section of the transmission member has an outer circumferential surface that is a cylindrical convex surface having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member; and the spacer has an outer circumferential surface that is a cylindrical convex surface having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member and an inner circumferential surface that is a cylindrical concave surface having an inner diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member.

The present invention is particularly and suitably applied to an electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus, in which the steering shaft, has integrated construction of which the overall length does not expand or contract, and the adjusted section has a steering column having integrated construction of which the overall length does not expand or contract; and further has:

an expandable intermediate shaft that transmits the rotation of the steering shaft to an input shaft of a steering gear unit; and

a universal joint that connects the front-end section of the steering shaft, and the rear-end section of the intermediate shaft, and

the electric actuator causes the steering column to be displaced in the axial direction of the steering column, causing the steering shaft to move in the forward-backward direction, and the movement of the steering shaft is compensated by causing the intermediate shaft to expand or contract.

However, the present invention can also be applied to construction in which a steering shaft has an inner shaft, and an outer shaft, which constitutes the at least part of the steering shaft, and that fits around the inner shaft so as to be able to slide in the axial direction of the steering shaft, and so as to be able to transmit torque to the inner shaft; the support section has an outer column; the adjusted section has an inner column that fits inside the outer column so as to be able to slide in the axial direction of the adjusted section, the front-end section of the inner shaft is connected to an intermediate shaft by way of a universal joint; the steering wheel is supported by and fastened to the rear-end section of the outer shaft; and the outer shaft displaces in the forward-backward direction together with the inner column during adjustment of the forward-backward position of the steering wheel.

Effect of the Invention

With the present invention, an electric steering wheel forward-backward position adjustment apparatus is provided that improves the support rigidity of the steering column apparatus area thereof, and makes it possible to perform steering wheel position adjustment smoothly without the driver experiencing an uncomfortable or unpleasant feeling.

In other words, mechanisms that elastically push a portion (adjusted section) of a column unit of the steering column apparatus that is displaced in the forward-backward direction together with at least part of the steering shaft downward with respect to the structure (support section) that supports the portion are provided in at least two locations on the top side of the support section that are separated in the forward-backward direction, so it is possible to suppress looseness between these members; and in the steering column apparatus, it is possible to improve the support rigidity in the area of fit of the adjusted section and the support section.

Particularly, by constructing both the steering shaft and steering column with non-expandable integrated construction, the rigidity of the steering shaft and steering column of the steering column apparatus is maintained, and thus the support rigidity of the steering column apparatus is further achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view illustrating a first example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the right half in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of part C in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the first example as seen from above in the front.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the right half in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view that illustrates the first example as seen from above on the opposite side from FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view that illustrates the right half in FIG. 6 as seen from below.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional drawing that illustrates the first example as seen from the right in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional drawing that illustrates the first example as seen from the left in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a top view illustrating the first example as seen from above in FIG. 2.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view illustrating the first example as seen from below in FIG. 2.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional drawing of section D-D in FIG. 2.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional drawing of section E-E in FIG. 2.

FIG. 16 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional drawing of the support section of both the front and rear ends of a screw rod for forward-backward position adjustment as seen from the same direction as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

FIG. 17 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional drawing of the support section of both the top and bottom ends of a screw rod for up-down position adjustment as seen from the same direction as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

FIG. 18 is a schematic drawing for explaining the change of the amount of expansion and contraction of the intermediate shaft when adjusting the up-down position of the steering wheel according to the forward-backward position of the steering wheel.

FIG. 19 is a vertical cross-sectional side view illustrating a second example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of part F in FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a partial vertical cross-sectional side view illustrating a first example of conventional construction.

FIG. 22 is a vertical cross-sectional side view illustrating a second example of conventional construction.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged view of part G in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a partial cross-sectional drawing illustrating a conventional gap adjustment mechanism for adjusting the gap between the outer column and inner column that can be applied to the first example and second example of conventional construction.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT INVENTION First Example

FIG. 1 to FIG. 18 illustrate a first example of an embodiment of the present invention. The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus of this example has a steering shaft 2 b and a cylindrical steering column 5 b, neither of which is expandable or contractible, in a section thereof that functions as a steering column apparatus. In the construction of this example, the forward-backward position and up-down position of the steering wheel (see FIG. 21) that is supported by and fastened to the rear-end section of the steering shaft 2 b that protrudes from the opening on the rear end of the steering column 5 b can each be adjusted within a specified range, however, forward-backward position adjustment of the steering wheel 1 is achieved by moving the overall steering shaft 2 b and steering column 5 b in the axial direction. Therefore, in this example, the overall steering column 5 b corresponds to an adjusted section of the column unit of the present invention.

In the construction of this example, the overall length of the steering shaft 2 b does not expand or contract, however the steering shaft 2 b is able to move in the axial direction (forward-backward direction) of the steering shaft, so as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, as an intermediate shaft 28 that is linked to the front-end section of the steering shaft 2 b by way of a universal joint 27 a so as to be able to transmit torque, construction is employed in which the end sections of an intermediate inner shaft 29 and intermediate outer shaft 30 fit together using a spline fit such that torque can be transmitted and the overall length can be expanded and contracted. In other words, by expanding or contracting the intermediate shaft 28, movement in the forward-backward direction of the steering shaft 2 b is compensated for. The front-end section of the intermediate shaft 28 is linked to an input shaft (omitted in the figure) of a steering gear unit for applying a steering angle to the steered wheels (front wheels) by way of another universal joint 27 b.

In the construction of this example, the installation position of the universal joint 27 a that links the front-end section of the steering shaft 2 b and the rear-end section of the intermediate shaft 28 is appropriately regulated such that during position adjustment of the steering wheel 1, the amount of relative displacement between the steering shaft 2 b and the intermediate shaft 28 is kept to minimum, and such that the position adjustment of the steering wheel 1 can be performed smoothly. More specifically, in order support a column holder 31 that holds the steering column 5 b so as to be able to be pivotally displaced with respect to a vehicle body-side bracket 32, a pair of left and right tilt shafts 33 (see FIG. 9 and FIG. 11) that are concentric with each other and the steering shaft. 2 b are located in positions such that the center axes of each are orthogonal with each other. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the center axis O_(C) of the pair of tilt shafts 33 is located in the center position in the forward-backward direction between the center position O_(F) of displacement on the front-end side of the universal joint 27 a and the center position O_(B) of displacement on the rear-end side.

The center position O_(F) of displacement on the front-end side is the center position of displacement of the universal joint. 27 a, or in other words, the center point position of the joint cross 34 of the universal joint 27 a, in a state in which the steering wheel 1 is displaced to the front-end position of the adjustable range. The center position O_(B) of displacement on the rear-end side is the center position of displacement of the universal joint 27 a in a state in which the steering wheel 1 is displaced to the rear-end position of the adjustable range. In this example, the center axis O_(C) of the pair of tilt shafts 33 is located in the center position of the line segment that connects the center position O_(F) of displacement on the front-end side and the center position O_(B) of displacement on the rear-end side. Therefore, when the length of the line segment that connects the center position O_(F) of displacement on the front-end side and the center position O_(B) of displacement on the rear-end side is taken to be L, the distances between the center axis O_(C) of the pair of tilt shafts 33 and the center position O_(F) of displacement on the front-end side and the center position Os of displacement on the rear-end side are each L/2. However, even when the center axis O_(C) of the pair of tilt shafts 33 is shifted by ±L/10, or preferably by ±L/20, from the position in the figure, the center axis O_(C) of the pair of tilt shafts 33 is located in nearly the center position between the center position O_(F) of displacement on the front-end side and the center position O_(B) of displacement on the rear-end side, so there is no particular problem.

The column holder 31 that holds the steering column 5 b so that displacement of the steering column 5 a in the axial direction (forward-backward direction) is possible is formed into a hollow body shape, or more specifically, a substantially cylindrical shape by die casting a light metal alloy, for example. The column holder 31 corresponds to a support section that constitutes the section of the steering column apparatus of the present invention. In order to eliminate looseness of the steering column 5 b with respect to the column holder 31, holding holes 22 a are formed in two locations that are separated in the forward-backward direction on the tip surface of the column holder 31 so as to pass through between the inner circumferential surface and outer circumferential surface of the column holder 31. As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 14, a sliding plate 35, a washer 36 and a disc spring 37 are installed on the inside of the each of the holding holes 22 a, and the opening section on the top end of each holding hole 22 a is covered by a screw cover 38. The sliding plate 35 is made of a high polymer material such as a synthetic resin like polyacetal (POM) or a synthetic rubber having excellent sliding properties. In this state, the sliding plates 35 that are located in the end section on the radially inside of the holding holes 22 a are pressed against the outer circumferential surface (top surface) of the steering column 5 b by the elastic force of the disc springs 37, so that the steering column 5 b is not loose inside the column holder 31. The spacing in the axial direction of the mechanisms for preventing looseness of the steering column 5 b is arbitrary, however, in this example, the spacing in the axial direction of the mechanisms is essentially the same as the maximum movable range in the axial direction of the steering unit.

In this example, from the aspect of maintaining the required rigidity, the steering column 5 b is integrally formed into a hollow body shape using an extruded pipe or seam welded pipe made of an aluminum alloy or iron-based alloy. However, it is also possible to employ construction in which plural elements are combined by welding or fitting. In this example, the steering column 5 b has a substantially cylindrical shape, but is not limited to this. By performing a drawing process on both end sections in the forward-backward direction of the steering column 5 b, reduced-diameter sections 39 a, 39 b having outer diameters that are smaller than the outer diameter of the middle section in the forward-backward direction are formed. Moreover, the middle section in the forward-backward direction of the steering column 5 b is taken to be a middle cylindrical section 40 having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction, and both end sections in the forward-backward direction of this middle cylindrical section 40 are continuous with the reduced-diameter sections 39 a, 39 b by inclined surface sections 41 a, 41 b. The length in the axial direction of the middle cylindrical section 40 and the installation positions of the holding holes 22 a are regulated by the relationship with the amount of adjustment in the forward-backward direction of the steering wheel 1, and the sliding plates 35 do not separate from the middle cylindrical section 40 regardless of the displacement in the axial direction of the steering column 5 b with respect to the column holder 31.

The steering shaft 2 b is integrally formed into a cylindrical shape or circular rod shape using drawn pipe or seam welded pipe made of an iron-based alloy, or an extruded pipe or drawn pipe made of an aluminum alloy, however, as in the case of the steering column 5 b, it is also possible to employ construction in which plural elements are combined by welding or fitting. The steering shaft 2 b is supported on the radially inside of the steering column 5 b by a pair of ball bearings 42 a, 42 b that are located on both end sections in the forward-backward direction in a state such that displacement in the axial direction with respect to the steering column 5 b is prevented.

A pair of angular ball bearings 42 a, 42 b that have back-to-back contact angles and that are preloaded, are located between the inner circumferential surface of the reduced-diameter sections 39 a, 39 b, and the outer circumferential surface of the portions near both ends of the middle section of the steering shaft 2 b. Therefore, in this example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the outer rings 43 a, 43 b of the pair of ball bearings 42 a, 42 b are fastened around the edge sections on the openings of the reduced-diameter sections 39 a, 39 b in a state such that displacement in a direction toward each other is prevented. Moreover, the inner ring 44 a of the ball bearing 42 a on the front side is fastened around the portion near the front end of the middle section of the steering shaft 2 b by a retaining ring 45 that is fastened around the steering shaft 2 b so that displacement in the forward direction is prevented. On the other hand, the inner ring 44 b of the ball bearing 42 b on the rear side is fastened around the steering shaft 2 b with a loose fit by a push nut 46 in a state such that displacement in the backward direction is prevented. An elastic member 47 such as a disc spring is held between the surface on the front side of the push nut 46 and the rear-end surface of the inner ring 44 b, and this elastic member 47 applies an elastic force on the inner ring 44 b in the forward direction. With this kind of construction, the steering shaft 2 b is supported on the radially inside of the steering column 5 b in a state such that displacement in the axial direction is prevented, and so as to be able to rotate freely with no looseness.

In this example, back-to-back angular ball bearings instead of deep-groove ball bearings are used as the pair of ball bearings 42 a, 42 b, and are installed in a state being preloaded from the axial direction of the steering shaft 2 b. Therefore, the preloading makes it possible to prevent looseness of the bearings, and it is possible to reduce the rotation torque of the bearings, so a steering apparatus having good steering stability of the steering wheel 1 is achieved. Moreover, a push nut 46 is used for fastening the inner ring 44 b on the rear side, so there is no need to form a fastening groove on the rear-end section of the steering shaft 2 b where it is easy for large forces to be applied from the steering wheel 1. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the strength and rigidity of the rear-end section of the steering shaft 2 b without having to increase the thickness of the steering shaft 2 b. A screw hole 48 is provided on the rear-end section of the steering shaft 2 b, and by using this screw hole 48, the steering wheel 1 is fastened to and supported by the steering shaft 2 b, and the diameter of the rear-end section of the steering shaft 2 b is sufficiently maintained.

As illustrated in FIG. 9 and FIG. 11, the column holder 31 is supported by the vehicle body-side bracket. 32 by the pair of tilt shafts 33 that are provided on both sides of the front-end section of the column holder so as to be concentric with each other, and the column holder 31 is able to be pivotally displaced around these tilt shafts 33. The vehicle body-side bracket 32 is integrally formed by die cast molding of a light metal alloy for example, and is supported by a portion that is fastened to the vehicle body so that displacement in the forward direction due to an impact load that is applied during a secondary collision is possible. In order for this, a pair of left and right installation plate sections 49 are provided on the vehicle body-side bracket 32, long holes 50 that extend in the forward-backward direction are formed in the front sections of the installation plate sections 49, and notches 51 that are open on the rear-end edges of the installation plate sections 49 are formed in the rear-end sections. Sliding plates 52 a, 52 b are fastened to each of the long holes 50 and notches 51, and by the way of bolts or studs that are inserted in through holes in these sliding plates 52 a, 52 b, the pair of installation plate sections 49 are fastened to and supported by a portion that is fastened to the vehicle body. In this state, the vehicle body-side bracket 32 is always firmly supported by a portion that is fastened to the vehicle body, however, when a large impact load is applied in the forward direction during a secondary collision, the vehicle body-side bracket 32 is displaced in the forward direction within the range that the bolts or studs are able to be displaced inside the long holes 50.

An actuator case 53 that is manufactured separately from the steering column 5 b is joined and fastened to a portion of the column holder 31 that is on the bottom side of the steering column 5 b using plural bolts.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, a forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54 and an up-down feed screw apparatus 55 that constitute an electric actuator are provided inside the actuator case 53. In this example, a forward-backward position adjustment actuator is formed by the forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54 and a forward-backward electric drive motor 56. The forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54, with the forward-backward electric drive motor 56 as a drive source, causes the steering column 5 b to be displaced in the forward-backward direction, and has a forward-backward feed screw rod 58 that is arranged parallel with the steering column 5 b, and a moving piece 16 a that has a forward-backward feed nut that screws onto the forward-backward feed screw rod 58. As illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 16, both the front and rear end sections of the forward-backward feed screw rod 58 are supported by the actuator case 53 by way of a pair of ball bearings 59 a, 59 b such that displacement in the axial direction is prevented, so that only rotation is possible. The forward-backward feed screw rod 58 is connected to the forward-backward electric drive motor 56 by way of a worm reducer, and is rotated and driven by the forward-backward electric drive motor 56. In this example, a forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54 that has the forward-backward electric drive motor 56 as a drive source is used, however, instead of this, it is also possible to use a linear motor that has a brake function, such as a linear motion ultrasonic motor.

The moving piece (forward-backward feed nut) 16 a has a base section 60 and a connecting section 61 that is provided above the base section 60. A screw hole 62 that screws onto the forward-backward feed screw rod 58 is formed on the base section 60. The connecting section 61 and the steering column 5 b are connected by way of a transmission member 17 a so as to be able to transmit force in the forward-backward direction therebetween. The transmission member 17 a is formed by performing cold forging on raw material made of an iron-based alloy such as carbon steel or stainless steel, and a male screw section 63 is provided on the base-end section (top-end section), an outward-facing flange section 64 is provided on the middle section, and a circular column section 65 is provided on the tip-end section (bottom-end section). A fastening hole 66 such as a hexagonal hole is formed in the tip-end surface (bottom-end surface) of the circular column section 65 so that the tip-end section of a tool such as a hexagonal wrench can be fastened. In the transmission member 17 a of this example, there is no neck section where the outer diameter becomes particularly small.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 14, the transmission member 17 a is fastened with screws to the bottom surface of the middle cylindrical section 40 of the steering column 5 b so that tilting in the forward-backward direction is sufficiently suppressed. More specifically, with a cylindrical section of a nut plate 68 inserted into a though hole 67 that is formed on the bottom surface of the middle cylindrical section 40 of the steering column 5 b, the nut plate 68 is fastened to the circumferential edge section of the through hole 67 by crimping so as to be mounted to the steering column 5 b from the inner circumferential surface side thereof. A radially inward side spacer 69 having an outer diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the flange section 64 is placed on the top surface of the flange section 64, and an radially outward side spacer 70 is mounted around this radially inward side spacer 69. The radially inward side spacer 69 is made of a hard material such as an iron-based alloy. However, the radially outward side spacer 70 is made of a high polymer material such as synthetic resin, hard rubber, hard vinyl or the like, or a material having a specified hardness but also having large internal loss and a vibration absorbing capability such as a soft metal. With the bottom surface near the radially inside of the radially outward side spacer 70 in contact with the top surface of the portion near the radially outside of the flange section 64, the top surface of the radially inward side spacer 69 and the top surface of the radially outward side spacer 70 are located on the same plane. Furthermore, a filler piece 71 is held between the top surfaces of the radially inward side spacer 69 and the radially outward side spacer 70 and the bottom surface (outer circumferential surface of the bottom-end section) of the steering column 5 b. The filler piece 71 is made of a hard material such as an iron-based alloy and is formed into a circular ring shape or frame shape as a whole with a wedge shaped cross sectional shape. By screwing the male screw section 63 that is provided on the top-end section of the transmission member 17 a into the nut plate 68 and further tightening, the transmission member 17 a is firmly supported by and fastened to the bottom surface of the middle section of the steering column 5 b. The transmission member 17 a is supported by and fastened to the middle cylindrical section 40 of the steering column 5 b having a relatively large outer diameter, so the transmission member 17 a does not hinder the rotation of the steering shaft 2 b. Moreover, by combining the radially outward side spacer 70 with the radially inward side spacer 69 made of a hard material, the radially outward side spacer 70 will not be exhausted. Furthermore, even in the case where the radially outward side spacer 70 drops down from the flange section 64 and comes in contact with the moving piece 16 a, the occurrence of noise is suppressed since the material of the radially outward side spacer 70 is not hard.

The transmission member 17 a that is supported by and fastened to the bottom surface of the middle cylindrical section 40 of the steering column 5 b and the moving piece 16 a that is screwed onto the forward-backward feed screw rod 58 are combined so as to be able to transmit movement in the forward-backward direction, and so as to be able to be displaced relative to each other in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 a. More specifically, an engaging concave section 19 a that opens upward is provided in the center section of the connecting section 61 of the moving piece 16 a, and the circular column section 65 of the transmission member 17 a is inserted into this engaging concave section 19 a. A cylindrical shaped spacer 72 is placed between the inner circumferential surface of the engaging concave section 19 a and the outer circumferential surface of the circular column section 65 so that there is no looseness, and so that sliding movement in the axial direction of the circular column section 65 is possible. The inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical spacer 72, except for chamfer sections on both ends in the axial direction, are cylindrical surfaces having no change in the diameter in the axial direction.

In a state that the transmission member 17 a and the moving piece 16 a are combined, the moving piece 16 a does not rotate with respect to the forward-backward feed screw rod 58. When the forward-backward feed screw rod 58 is rotated by the forward-backward electric drive motor 56, the moving piece 16 a moves along the forward-backward feed screw rod 58 in a direction that corresponds to the direction of rotation. The direction of movement of the moving piece 16 a is basically in the direction of the center axis of the column holder 31, and is parallel to the direction of movement of the steering column 5 b. However, due to manufacturing error or assembly error of a product, the direction of the movement of the moving piece 16 a and the direction of movement of the steering column 5 b may be a little nonparallel. For example, in case that the direction of the abutting section (contact surfaces) between the bottom surface of the column holder 31 and the top surface of the actuator case 53 does not match the direction of movement of the moving piece 16 a or the direction of movement of the steering column 5 b, these directions of movement may be a little nonparallel. In that case, the transmission member 17 a is displaced in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 relative to the moving piece 16 a. This relative displacement is performed while there is slippage at the area of contact between the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical spacer 72 and the outer circumferential surface of the circular column section 65, and at the area of contact between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical spacer 72 and the inner circumferential surface of the engaging concave section 19 a. These circumferential surfaces are simple cylindrical surfaces, so the surfaces can be processed with high precision without a large increase in cost, and because the sliding sections of these members are located at two locations, the relative displacement between these members can be performed smoothly. In order that the transmission member 17 a can be displaced in the forward-backward direction, a long hole 89 in the forward-backward direction that extends in the axial direction of the column holder 31 is provided in part of the column holder 31.

In this example, an up-down feed screw apparatus 55 and up-down electric drive motor 57 are provided as an electric actuator for up-down position adjustment. With the up-down electric drive motor 57 as a drive source, the up-down feed screw apparatus 55 causes the rear section of the steering column 5 b to be displaced (raise or lower) in the up-down direction. In this example, the up-down feed screw apparatus 55 causes the entire column holder 31 to be pivotally displaced with respect to the vehicle body-side bracket, with the pair of tilt shafts 33 as the center of rotation. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, a U-shaped support frame 73 is provided at the rear-end section of the vehicle body-side bracket 32, and the rear-end section of the column holder 31 is held inside this support frame 73 so as to be able to raise or lower without looseness. The support frame 73 has inside surfaces that are parallel with each other. On the other hand, convex sections 74 a, 74 b that have outside surfaces that are parallel with each other are provided on both the right and left sides of the rear-end section of the column holder 31 so as to protrude out in the width direction. The outside surfaces of the convex sections 74 a, 74 b and the inside surfaces of the support frame 73 engage by way of respective sliding plates 75 a, 75 b. One sliding plate 75 a is thicker than the other sliding plate 75 b, and by pressing this thick sliding plate 75 a toward the other sliding plate 75 b using a pressure screw 76, looseness between the support frame 73 and the column holder 31 is eliminated. The pressure screw 76, after being tightened to a specified torque, is prevented from coming loose by a lock nut. In this example, an up-down feed screw apparatus 55 having the up-down electric drive motor 57 as a drive source is used, however, instead of this, it is also possible to use a linear motor having a brake function such as a linear motion ultrasonic motor.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 15, by combining the engaging hole 77 that is provided in the center section in the width direction of the support frame 71 and the up-down feed screw apparatus 55, the rear-end section of the column holder 31 is able to move up or down (raise or lower) according to the power flowing to the up-down electric drive motor 57. As illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 17, both the top and bottom end section of the up-down feed screw rod 78 of the up-down feed screw apparatus 55 is supported by the actuator case 53 by way of a pair of ball bearings 79 a, 79 b such that only rotation is possible. The up-down feed screw rod 78 is connected to the up-down electric feed drive motor 57 by way of a worm reducer, and is rotated and driven by the up-down electric drive motor 57.

An up-down feed nut 80 screws around the middle section of the up-down feed screw rod 78. The up-down feed nut 80 is formed into a incomplete circular ring shape using a metal material such as an iron-based metal having elasticity, and by adjusting the interference of the screw engagement section with the up-down feed screw rod 78 with a screw 81, it is possible to eliminate any looseness in the screw engagement section. Moreover, the tip-end section of an engaging arm 82 that is integrally provided on the up-down feed nut 80 and the engaging hole 77 can be joined by way of a spherical joint 83 so as to be able to transmit force in the up-down direction and so as to be able to be pivotally displaced. The spherical joint 83 is formed on the tip-end section of the engaging arm 82, and has a spherical engaging section 84 having an outer circumferential surface that is a partial spherical convex surface, and a spacer 85 that is formed into a cylindrical shape using a material such as synthetic resin that slides easily, and has an inner circumferential surface that is a partial spherical concave surface. A screw hole is formed in the center section of the spherical engaging section 84, and a slit in the radial direction is provided thereon, so that the outer diameter of the spherical engaging section 84 can elastically expand or contract. More specifically, by engaging a partial conical shaped convex surface that is formed on the head of an adjustment screw 86 that is screwed into the screw hole in the spherical engaging section 84 with a partial conical shaped concave surface that is formed in the opening section of the screw hole in the spherical engaging section 84, it is possible to adjust the outer diameter of the spherical engaging section 84. By screwing the adjustment screw 86 a proper amount into the screw hole in the spherical engaging section 84, the occurrence of a gap in the spherical joint 83 is prevented. With this kind of construction, movement in the up-down direction is transmitted from the up-down feed nut 80 to the bottom-end section of the support frame 73 without looseness.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 reinforcement ribs 90 are provided on both the left and right sides of the front-end section of the vehicle body-side bracket 32, and these reinforcement ribs 90 maintain the strength and rigidity of the portion of the vehicle body-side bracket where the tilt shaft 33 is located. Moreover, reinforcement ribs 92 are also provided between a pair of left and right pivot support arms 91 that are provided on the front-end section of the column holder 31 in order to pivotally support the column holder 31 by the tilt shaft 33 and the main portion of the column holder 31, and these reinforcement ribs 92 maintain the strength and rigidity of the pivot support arms 91. Therefore, in this example, the strength and rigidity of the pivot support section that supports the column holder 31 with respect to the vehicle body-side bracket 32 are sufficiently maintained, and the operational feeling of the steering wheel 1 is sufficiently prevented from becoming deteriorated due to insufficient rigidity of this pivot support section.

In the following, the position adjustment of the steering wheel 1 by the electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus of this example will be explained. First, when adjusting the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, current is allowed to flow to the forward-backward electric drive motor 56, and the forward-backward electric drive motor 56 rotates the forward-backward feed screw rod 58 by a specified amount in a specified direction. With rotation of the forward-backward feed screw rod 58, the moving piece 16 a moves in the forward-backward direction along the forward-backward feed screw rod 58, and the steering column 5 b, by way of the transmission member 17 a, is moved in the forward-backward direction inside the column holder 31. As a result, the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted. When the steering wheel 1 is moved to an adjustable limit position, the moving piece 16 a comes in contact with one of a pair of stoppers 87 a, 87 b as illustrated in FIG. 16 that are provided at portions near both ends of the forward-backward feed screw rod 58, and the moving piece 16 a is prevented from moving any further. In this state, current flowing to the forward-backward electric drive motor 56 is stopped.

When the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted to a limit position, the portion on the end section in the axial direction of the steering column 5 b where the outer ring 43 a, 43 b of the ball bearing 42 a, 42 b is fastened inside with an interference fit comes close to the inner circumferential surface of the end section of the column holder 31. There is a possibility that the end sections in the axial direction of the steering column 5 b may deform a little due to the outer rings 43 a, 43 b being fastened inside, or due to the effect of chucking during processing. However, the end sections in the axial direction of the steering column 5 b are the reduced-diameter sections 39 a, 39 b, and there is no rubbing between the end sections in the axial direction of the steering column 5 b and the inner circumferential surface of the end sections of the column holder 31. Therefore, even when the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted to a limit position, unpleasant noise or vibration does not occur due to rubbing between the end section in the axial direction of the steering column 5 b and the inner circumferential surface of the end section of the column holder 31.

Next, when adjusting the up-down position of the steering wheel 1, current is allowed to flow to the up-down electric drive motor 57, and the up-down electric drive motor 57 rotates the up-down feed screw rod 78 by a specified amount in a specified direction. As a result, the up-down feed nut 80 moves in the up-down direction along the up-down feed screw rod 78. However, this up-down feed nut 80 does not move in the up-down direction due to engagement between the engaging hole 77 and the spherical engaging section 84, so the up-down feed screw rod 78 is displaced in the up-down direction, and due to that displacement, the actuator case 53 and column holder 31 that support the up-down feed screw rod 78 is pivotally displaced around the tilt shaft 33. As a result, the up-down position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted to a specified position. In this case as well, when the steering wheel 1 is moved to a limit position within the adjustable range, the up-down feed nut 80 comes in contact with one of a pair of stoppers 88 a, 88 b such as illustrated in FIG. 17 that are provided in portions near both ends of the up-down feed screw rod 78, and is prevented from further movement. In this state, electric current flowing to the up-down electric drive motor 57 is stopped.

In the electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus of this example, the steering shaft 2 b and steering column 5 b are integrated such that when both are in at least the normal state, the full length is not expanded or contracted, so the rigidity of the steering shaft 2 b and steering column 5 b is sufficiently maintained. Therefore, it is possible to suppress vibration of the steering wheel 1 and improve the steering performance. Moreover, in this way, the steering shaft 29 having single construction is located inside the non-divided steering column 5 b, so an area of fit that is a cause of looseness does not exist in the portion that constitutes the steering column apparatus. Consequently, the occurrence of looseness in the portion that constitutes the steering column apparatus is suppressed, so it is possible to increase the resonant frequency of that portion. As a result, it becomes possible to avoid resonance with traveling vibration that has a low resonant frequency, or engine vibration having large amplitude.

Moreover, the pair of sliding plates 35 that are supported in series at two locations at the front and rear of the column holder 31 and that support the steering column 5 b so as to be able to be displaced in the axial direction elastically push the middle cylindrical section 40 of the steering column 5 b toward the inner circumferential surface of the column holder 31, so looseness between the steering column 5 b and the column holder 31 is eliminated. Particularly, by bringing the outer circumferential surface of the middle cylindrical section 40 having a relatively large diameter in contact with the sliding plates 35, the area of the contact surface between these members becomes large, so it becomes possible to make the force by which the sliding plates 35 push the steering column 5 b relatively small. Moreover, the gap in the axial direction in the portion where the sliding plates 35 push the outer circumferential surface of the steering column 5 b can be kept as large as possible within the range of movement in the forward-backward direction of the steering column 5 b, so the rigidity in the area of fit between the steering column 5 b and the column holder 31 is sufficiently maintained. Furthermore, by using the moment that occurs between the sliding plates 35 and the sliding section on the outer circumferential surface of the steering column 5 b, it is possible to make the force by which the sliding plates 35 pushes the steering column 5 b relatively small. With this kind of construction, it is possible to reduce the load that is applied when moving the steering wheel 1 in the forward-backward direction, so it is possible to lessen the operating noise of the forward-backward electric drive motor 56. Moreover, even when the tolerance for the inner-diameter dimension of the column holder 31 and the tolerance for the outer-diameter dimension of the steering column 5 b are the same as in the conventional construction, it is possible to eliminate looseness, so tilting of the steering column 5 b and the transmission member 17 a can be kept small. Therefore, there is no need to use a spherical shape having a high degree of displacement absorbency for the tip-end section of the transmission member 17 a, and it is possible to use a simple shape such as a circular column shape.

In the apparatus of this example, construction does not allow expansion and contraction of the overall length of the steering shaft 2 b and steering column 5 b, so when adjusting the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, the center position of the universal joint 27 a, and the joint cross 34, which is the center of displacement of the universal joint 27 a, is displaced in the axial direction of the steering shaft 2 b and steering column 5 b. On the other hand, when adjusting the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, the installation position of the tilt shaft 33 that is provided between the front-end section of the column holder 31 and the front-end section of the vehicle body-side bracket 32 does not change even though the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted.

Therefore, depending on the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, a state occurs in which the center position of the joint cross 34 is not located on the center axis of the tilt shaft 33. In this state, when pivotally displacing the column holder 31 centered around the tilt shaft 33 in order to adjust the up-down position of the steering wheel 1, the center position of the joint cross 34 is pivotally displaced centered around the tilt shaft 33. As the center of this joint cross 34 is pivotally displaced, the distance between the universal joint 27 a on the rear side that includes this joint cross 34 and the universal joint on the front side changes. The change in this distance is absorbed by the expansion or contraction of the intermediate shaft 28. However, in order to expand or contract the intermediate shaft 28, it is necessary to overcome the friction resistance that acts in the area of fit between the intermediate inner shaft 29 and the intermediate outer shaft 30. Due to this kind of friction resistance, the resistance against the pivotal displacement of the column holder 31 becomes large, and there is a possibility that the capability for smooth adjustment of the up-down position of the steering wheel 1 will be lost. The amount that this capability for smooth adjustment is lost becomes more extreme as the amount that the intermediate shaft expands or contracts during adjustment of the up-down position becomes larger, and the resistance that accompanies the expansion or contraction of the intermediate shaft 28 becomes larger.

In the construction of this example, the center axis O_(C) of the tilt shaft 33 is located in the center position in the forward-backward direction between the center position O_(F) of displacement of the front-end side and the center position O_(B) of displacement of the rear-end side. Therefore, even in a state in which the center position of the joint cross 34 is not located on the center axis O_(C) of the tilt shaft 33, it is possible to keep the radius of the pivotal displacement of the center position of the joint cross 34, accompanying the pivotal displacement of the column holder 31 centered around the tilt shaft 33, which is the amount that the center position of the joint cross 34 is shifted from the center axis O_(C), small. By keeping this radius small, it is possible to keep the amount of expansion or contraction of the intermediate shaft 28 due to adjustment of the up-down position small, and it is possible to keep the resistance due to the expansion or contraction of the intermediate shaft 28 small. As a result, it is possible to smoothly adjust the up-down position of the steering wheel 1 regardless of the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1.

In FIG. 18, the positions represented by F, C and B indicate the position of the center of displacement of the universal joint 27 a when the steering wheel 1 is moved to the front-end position, and the center position and rear-end position of the adjustable range when the up-down position of the steering wheel 1 is in the neutral state. When the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is in the center position, and the position of the center of displacement of the universal joint 27 a is located on the center axis of the tilt shaft 33, the universal joint 27 a does not raise or lower even when the intermediate shaft 28 expands or contracts as the up-down position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted. Therefore, the intermediate shaft 28 and universal joint 27 a do not resist the adjustment of the up-down position of the steering wheel 1.

On the other hand, when adjusting the up-down position in a state in which the steering wheel 1 has been moved to the front-end position represented by F the position of the center of displacement of the universal joint 27 a is displaced between f_(H) and f_(L) with f_(O) as the center, and the intermediate shaft 28 expands or contracts due to this displacement. As can be seen from FIG. 18, the amount of expansion or contraction between f_(H) and f_(L) is relatively large. This amount of expansion or contraction increases the longer the distance that the position of the center of displacement of the universal joint 27 a is separated from the tilt shaft 33 becomes. In the construction of this example, by locating the position of the center axis O_(C) of the tilt shaft 33 at the center position in the forward-backward direction between the position of the center of displacement O_(F) of the front-end side and the position of the center of displacement. Os of the rear-end side, it is possible to suppress the maximum value of the distance that the position of the center of displacement of the universal joint 27 a is separated from the tilt shaft 33 more than in the case of construction in which the center axis O_(C) is located further toward the rear than the position of the center of displacement O_(B) of the rear-end side. Therefore, even when adjusting the up-down position when the steering wheel 1 is moved to the very front position, it is possible to keep this amount of expansion or contraction small and it is possible to perform the up-down position adjustment smoothly.

On the other hand, in a state in which the steering wheel 1 has been moved to the rear-end position represented by B, the universal joint 27 a that connects the front-end section of the steering shaft 2 b and the rear-end section of the intermediate shaft 28 is located further toward the rear than the tilt shaft 33. When up-down position adjustment is performed in this state, the position of the center of displacement of the universal joint 27 a is displaced between b_(H) and b_(L) with b_(O) as the center; and the intermediate shaft 18 expands or contracts due to this displacement. As can be seen from FIG. 18, the amount of this expansion or contraction is kept relatively small. Instead of that, during up-down position adjustment of the steering wheel 1, the portion that includes the universal joint 27 a becomes the load on the up-down electric drive motor 57 of the electric actuator for up-down position adjustment. This is because, unlike in the case when the universal joint 27 a is located further toward the front than the tilt shaft 33, the weight of the portion of the universal joint 27 a is not cancelled out by other portions. Therefore, the load on the up-down electric drive motor 57 during up-down position adjustment of the steering wheel 1 becomes large, so a larger motor must be used, which is disadvantageous from the aspect of making the electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus more compact and lightweight. This tendency becomes even more extreme the larger the distance that the universal joint 27 a is separated from the tilt shaft 33 becomes. However, in this example, the positional relationship of the center axis O_(C) of the tilt shaft 33, and the positions of the center of displacement OF, O_(B) are regulated as described above, so when compared with construction in which the center axis O_(C) is located further toward the front than the position of the center of displacement O_(F) on the front side, it is possible to suppress the maximum value of the distance that the position of the center of displacement of the universal joint 27 a is separated from the tilt shaft 33. Therefore, it is possible to keep the amount that the load on the up-down electric drive motor 57 becomes increases low, and thus it is easier to make the apparatus more compact and lightweight.

Locating the center axis O_(C) of the tilt shaft 33 at the center position in the forward-backward direction is also advantageous from the aspect of suppressing fluctuation in the torque required for operating the steering wheel 1, regardless of the adjustment of the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1. In other words, when the universal joints 27 a, 27 b, which are both joint cross universal joint, transmit torque in a state in which a joint angle is applied, the torque characteristic (torque loss) changes in accordance with the phase variation in the rotational direction. When this kind of change in the torque characteristic is left as is, the driver that is operating the steering wheel 1 will experience an unpleasant feeling. Therefore, by making the phase in the rotational direction of the universal joints 27 a, 27 b suitably different, the fluctuations in torque characteristic of these universal joints 27 a, 27 b will cancel each other out. In this case, it is necessary to make suitable the relationship between the joint angles of the universal joints 27 a, 27 b and the shift in the phase in the rotational direction, however, in the construction of this example, the position of the universal joint 27 a on the rear side shifts as the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted. As a result, the relationship of the joint angles of the universal joints 27 a, 27 b shifts from the initial relationship. When this shift is large, it is not possible to sufficiently suppress the fluctuation in the torque characteristic of these universal joints 27 a, 27 b, and there is a possibility that the driver that is operating the steering wheel 1 will experience an unpleasant feeling. On the other hand, in the construction of this example, it is possible to keep the amount of this shifting small, so it is possible to keep the possibility that driver that is operating the steering wheel 1 will experience an unpleasant feeling low.

Moreover, the sliding plates 35 push the steering column 5 b downward toward the forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54, so a moment in the horizontal direction does not occur according to this pushing, and looseness of the steering column 5 b inside the column holder 31 that may occur when the forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54 is operated and stopped is suppressed, and up-down movement of the steering column 5 b that may occur when inverting the displacement operation is also suppressed. Even in the case where it is necessary to perform a finishing process on the outer circumferential surface of the middle cylindrical section 40 in order to improve the precision of the area of fit between the outer circumferential surface of the steering column 5 b and the inner circumferential surface of the column holder 31, the outer circumferential surface of the middle cylindrical section 40 has the largest diameter of the outer circumferential surface of the steering column 5 b, so performing a finishing process on the outer circumferential surface of this middle cylindrical section 40 does not effect the other portions, and can be performed easily and efficiently. Moreover, the support rigidity of the steering wheel 1 as well can be easily adjusted by changing the thickness of the metal plate of the steering column 5 b and steering shaft. 2 b. Furthermore, the portions of the steering column 5 b that are pushed by the sliding plates 35 are located in the portion of the steering column 5 b having the larger diameter, so the surface area of the pushed portions can be made large, and thus it is not necessary to make the force by which the sliding plates 35 push the steering column 5 b excessively large. The effect of suppressing looseness is obtained by a small pushing force such as this, so the load during operation is stable and small and thus it is also possible to reduce the operating noise of the forward-backward electric drive motor 56.

In the construction of this example, the shape of the transmission member 17 a and the cylindrical spacer 72 for transmitting the movement of the moving piece 16 a of the forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54 to the steering column 5 b is simple, so it is possible to use cold forging to manufacture the transmission member 17 a and cylindrical spacer 72 at low cost and with high precision.

Moreover, the relative displacement in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 a between the transmission member 17 a and the moving piece 16 a is compensated for at two locations; the inner circumferential surface and outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical spacer 72, and the outer circumferential surface of the tip-end section of the transmission member 17 a and the inner circumferential surface of the engaging concave section 19 a that is provided on the moving piece 16 a. Therefore, even when the direction of movement of the moving piece 16 a and the direction of movement of the steering column 5 b accompanying adjustment of the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 become nonparallel due to bad precision of the engaging bottom surface of the column holder 31 and the top surface of the actuator case 53, and there is relative displacement in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 a between the transmission member 17 a and the moving piece 16 a accompanying the forward-backward position adjustment of the steering wheel 1, there is rubbing at two locations, so the length of each rubbing location can be made short, and thus it is possible to suppress the occurrence of noise and vibration. Furthermore, there is no neck section in the transmission member 17 a, that is disadvantageous from the aspect of maintaining strength and rigidity, so the durability and reliability of the forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54 is maintained.

Furthermore, with construction of this example, the up-down feed screw rod 78 of the up-down feed screw apparatus 55 is located directly below the column holder 31 in the radial direction of the column holder 31, so no adverse moment is applied to the column holder 31 during up-down position adjustment of the steering wheel 1. Therefore, it is possible to perform this up-down position adjustment smoothly. Locating the support frame 73 for guidance during up-down position adjustment as far toward the rear as possible within a range that does not interfere with the portion fastened to the steering column 5 b is preferred from the aspect of maintaining support rigidity of the column holder 31 as well as maintaining the support rigidity of the steering wheel 1 regardless of the forward-backward movement of the steering column 5 b during forward-backward position adjustment of the steering wheel 1. Moreover, preferably the sliding plates 75 a, 75 b are coated with a lubricant such as grease in order that up-down adjustment of the steering wheel 1 is performed smoothly. Furthermore, preferably arranging the up-down feed screw rod 78 and the forward-backward feed screw rod 58 such that the center axes are orthogonal to each other is preferred from the aspect of being able to smoothly perform up-down adjustment and forward-backward adjustment of the steering wheel 1, and being able to keep the installation space of the forward-backward feed screw apparatus 54 and up-down feed screw apparatus 55 small.

Second Example of an Embodiment

FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 illustrate a second example of an embodiment of the present invention. This example illustrates the case in which the construction of the present invention is applied to the second example of conventional technology. In this example, the steering shaft 2 a has a cylindrical outer shaft 3 a, and a circular rod shaped inner shaft 4 a that is inserted inside the outer shaft 3 a so as to be able to slide in the axial direction and be able to transmit torque. Moreover, the steering column 5 c of the column unit of the present invention has a cylindrical outer column 6 c that is supported by an installation bracket 14, and a cylindrical inner column 7 c that is inserted inside the outer column 6 c so as to be able to slide in the axial direction. The steering shaft 2 a is supported on the inside of the steering column 5 c so as to be able to rotate freely, and the outer shaft 3 a and the inner column 7 c move in the forward-backward direction relative to the inner shaft 4 a and the outer column 6 c. In this example, the outer column 6 c corresponds to the support section of the column unit of the present invention, and the inner column 7 c corresponds to the adjusted section of the column unit of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, in this example, in order to eliminate looseness of the inner column 7 c with respect to the outer column 6 c, holding holes 22 b are formed at two locations in the top surface of the outer column 6 c that are separated in the forward-backward direction so as to pass through between the inner circumferential surface and outer circumferential surface of the outer column 6 c. Inside each of the holding holes 22 b, there is assembled in order from the inside a sliding plate 35, a washer 36, and a disc spring 37, and the opening on the top end of the holding hole 22 b is covered by a screw cover 38. In this state, the sliding plates 35 located on the radially inward side ends of the holding holes are pushed against the outer circumferential surface (top surface) of the inner column 7 c by the elastic force of the disc springs 37.

In this example, a linear motion ultrasonic motor 15 a that is supported by the bottom-end section of the installation bracket 14 causes the inner column 7 c to be displaced in the axial direction with respect to the outer column 6 c. A moving piece 16 b that is provided in the linear motion ultrasonic motor 15 a and arranged so as to be able to move in the axial direction (forward-backward) direction of the steering column 5 c has a base section that is connected to the linear motion ultrasonic motor 15 a and a connecting section 61 a that is provided above the base section 6 a, and an engaging concave section 19 b is provided in the center section of this connecting section 61 a.

In this example as well, the transmission member 17 a has a male screw section 63 on the top-end section thereof, an outward facing flange section 64 around the middle section, and a circular column section 65 on the bottom-end section. The transmission member 17 a is fastened by screws to the inner column 7 c in a state such that filler pieces 71 are held between the top surfaces of a radially inward side spacer 69 and a radially outward side spacer 70 that are arranged around the top surface of the flange section 64 and the inner column 7 b. The circular column section of the transmission member 17 a is placed inside the engaging concave section 19 b of the moving piece 16 b by way of a cylindrical shaped spacer 72 so as to be able to slide in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 a without looseness.

The engaging concave section 19 b of the moving piece 16 b has an inner circumferential surface that is a cylindrical concave surface having an inner diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 a; the circular column section 65, which is the tip-end section of the transmission member 17 a, has an outer circumferential surface that is a cylindrical convex surface having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 a; and the cylindrical shaped spacer 72 has an outer circumferential surface that is a cylindrical convex surface having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 a and an inner circumferential surface that is a cylindrical concave surface having an inner diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member 17 a. The other construction and functions of this example are the same as in the first example of an embodiment.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus of the present invention can be applied to not only to the adjustment of the forward-backward position of a steering wheel as described in the embodiment above, but can also be suitably applied to an electric tilt and telescopic steering apparatus that is able to adjust the up-down position of the steering wheel as well. The invention can also be applied to an electric telescopic steering apparatus that does not have a tilt mechanism and that adjusts only the forward-backward position of the steering wheel. Moreover, the construction for attachment to a vehicle body, and construction for joining the steering shaft and universal joint are not limited, and the present invention can be widely applied to electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatuses that are assembled in electric steering apparatuses in which various kinds of conventionally known construction are employed.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   1 Steering wheel -   2, 2 a, 2 b Steering shaft -   3, 3 a Outer shaft -   4, 4 a Inner shaft -   5, 5 a, 5 b, 5 c Steering column -   6, 6 a, 6 b, 6 c Outer column -   7, 7 a, 7 b, 7 c Inner column -   8 Gear housing -   9 Feed nut -   10 Push-pull arm -   11 Push-pull rod -   12 Male screw section -   13 Worm reducer -   14 Installation bracket -   15, 15 a Linear motion ultrasonic motor -   16, 16 b Moving piece -   16 a Moving piece (forward-backward feed nut) -   17, 17 a Transmission member -   18 Spherical joint -   19, 19 a, 19 b Engaging concave section -   20 Spacer -   21 Spherical engaging section -   22, 22 a, 22 b Holding hole -   23 Female screw -   24 Adjustment screw -   25 Disc spring -   26 Pad -   27 a, 27 b Universal joint -   28 Intermediate shaft -   29 Intermediate inner shaft -   30 Intermediate outer shaft -   31 Column holder -   32 Vehicle body-side bracket -   33 Tilt shaft. -   34 Joint cross -   35 Sliding plate -   36 Washer -   37 Disc spring -   38 Screw cover -   39 a, 39 b Reduced-diameter section -   40 Middle cylindrical section -   41 a, 41 b Inclined surface section -   42 a, 42 b Ball bearing -   43 a, 43 b Outer ring -   44 a, 44 b Inner ring -   45 Retaining ring -   46 Push nut -   47 Elastic material -   48 Screw hole -   49 Installation plate section -   50 Long hole -   51 Notch -   52 a, 52 b Sliding plate -   53 Actuator case -   54 Forward-backward feed screw apparatus -   55 Up-down feed screw apparatus -   56 Forward-backward electric drive motor -   57 Up-down electric drive motor -   58 Forward-backward feed screw rod -   59 a, 59 b Ball bearing -   60, 60 a Base section -   61, 61 a Connecting section -   62 Screw hole -   63 Male screw section -   64 Flange section -   65 Circular column section -   66 Fastening hole -   67 Through hole -   68 Nut plate -   69 Radially inward side spacer -   70 Radially outward side spacer -   71 Filler piece -   72 Cylindrical spacer -   73 Support frame -   74 a, 74 b Convex section -   75 a, 75 b Sliding plate -   76 Pressure screw -   77 Engaging hole -   78 Up-down feed screw rod -   79 a, 79 b Ball bearing -   80 Up-down feed nut -   81 Screw -   82 Engaging arm -   83 Spherical joint -   84 Spherical engaging section -   86 Spacer -   87 a, 87 b Stopper -   88 a, 88 b Stopper -   89 Long hole in the forward-backward direction -   90 Reinforcement rib -   91 Pivot support arm -   92 Reinforcement rib 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus, comprising: a steering shaft having a rear-end section which a steering wheel is supported by and fastened to; and a column unit extending in an axial direction of the steering shaft and rotatably supporting the steering shaft on an inside of the column unit, the column unit comprising: a support section supported by a portion that is fastened to a vehicle body or to a vehicle body-side bracket that is supported by the portion that is fastened to the vehicle body, the support section not being displaced during position adjustment of the steering wheel; and an adjusted section supported by the support section so as to be displaceable in the axial direction of the steering shaft together with at least part of the steering shaft during position adjustment of the steering wheel; an electric actuator fastened to a bottom side of the support section, and having an electric motor as a drive source, causing the adjusted section to be displaced in the axial direction of the steering shaft with respect to the support section; mechanisms pushing the adjusted section downward, the mechanisms being provided in at least two locations on a top side of the support section that are separated in a forward-backward direction of the column unit, and a pair of preloaded angular ball bearings having back-to-back contact angles and being located between both end sections in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section and at least part of the steering shaft, and the pair of ball bearings rotatably supporting the at least part of the steering shaft with respect to the adjusted section in a state that displacement in the axial direction of the steering shaft with respect to the adjusted section is prevented.
 2. The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the both end sections in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section are constructed by reduced-diameter sections having diameters that are smaller than a diameter of a middle section in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section, the middle section in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section is constructed by a middle cylindrical section having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction, the pair of ball bearings are located between inner circumferential surfaces of the both end sections in the forward-backward direction of the adjusted section and an outer circumferential surface of the at least part of the steering shaft, and the mechanisms pushing the adjusted section downward are provided so as not to separate from the middle cylindrical section regardless of displacement in the axial direction of the adjusted section with respect to the support section.
 3. The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the mechanisms pushing the adjusted section downward comprises: a holding hole formed so as to pass through between an inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface of the support section; a sliding plate; an elastic member; and a cover, the sliding plate, the elastic member and the cover being assembled in the holding hole in order from an inside in a radial direction of the support section, and the elastic member is elastically compressed between the sliding plate and the cover, such that the sliding plate pushes an outer circumferential surface of the adjusted section.
 4. The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein spacing in the axial direction of the mechanisms pushing the adjusted section downward is essentially equal to a maximum range of movement of the adjusted section in the axial direction of the support section.
 5. The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electric actuator comprises: a forward-backward feed screw rod being arranged parallel with the adjusted section, and being rotated and driven by the electric motor; a moving piece being screwed onto the forward-backward feed screw rod, and moving in the forward-backward direction according to rotation of the forward-backward feed screw rod; and a transmission member having a tip-end section that is connected to the moving piece and a base-end section that is joined to the middle cylindrical section of the adjusted section, and transmitting movement of the moving piece to the adjusted section.
 6. The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an engaging concave section is provided in the moving piece, the tip-end section of the transmission member engages with the engaging concave section of the moving piece by way of a spacer, the engaging concave section of the moving piece has an inner circumferential surface that is a cylindrical concave surface having an inner diameter that does not change in an axial direction of the transmission member, the tip-end section of the transmission member has an outer circumferential surface that is a cylindrical convex surface having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member, and the spacer has an outer circumferential surface that is a cylindrical convex surface having an outer diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member and an inner circumferential surface that is a cylindrical concave surface having an inner diameter that does not change in the axial direction of the transmission member.
 7. The electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steering shaft has integrated construction of which an overall length thereof does not expand or contract, and the adjusted section comprises a steering column having integrated construction of which an overall length thereof does not expand or contract, wherein the electric steering wheel position adjustment apparatus further comprises: an expandable intermediate shaft transmitting rotation of the steering shaft to an input shaft of a steering gear unit; and a universal joint connecting a front-end section of the steering shaft and a rear-end section of the intermediate shaft, wherein the electric actuator causes the steering column to be displaced in the axial direction of the steering column, causing the steering shaft to move in the forward-backward direction, and movement of the steering shaft is compensated by causing the intermediate shaft to expand or contract. 